Enabling Churches to Serve

Mark Milazzo is a member of New Life Christian Church in Petaluma, California—which served as an evacuation center during last October's fires in Northern California.

When he and his wife, Heather, first moved to Petaluma, California, they planned to stay for about a year while they figured out where they wanted to settle in.

“That was about a dozen years and three kids ago,” Mark said.

But they didn’t just start a family in Petaluma—they found one too.

“New Life and the community we have built there are the main reason why we’re still living in the area,” he said.

Losing Financial Stability

A few years ago, Mark unexpectedly lost his job in a series of layoffs.

“Two weeks prior I had gotten a bonus and the promise of a raise in a few months,” Mark said. “This made it very confusing, but I called out to God and asked for help.”

“I love the idea that while I make some money, I am investing in other churches and God's work.”—Mark Milazzo

Just before the layoff, the Milazzos had their third child, and losing Mark’s job meant losing their benefits. Still, Mark felt like God was asking him and Heather to wait and see what He would do. They resisted the temptation to rely on their own problem-solving skills. Meanwhile, friends from New Life provided prayer, support, and advice.

Mark and Heather began to realize this was an opportunity to spend more time with their kids during their formative years, and Mark became a stay-at-home dad.

Investing in God’s Work

Mark is an investor with CDF Capital. He first heard about CDF when New Life needed a building of their own 10 years ago—the building which had been designed to serve as an evacuation center when needed, but was first put to the test only a few months ago.

“I have a background in business and strategy,” Mark said. “I was a part of the team that helped New Life get into a building of our own.”

Witnessing what CDF could do with financial resources firsthand, Mark decided he wanted to make an investment that meant something.

“When you place money in a certificate of deposit, the entity you've placed those funds with can invest in any number of enterprises,” Mark said. In other words, you don’t know where that money is going.

“CDF invests in growing God's Kingdom,” Mark continued. “I love the idea that while I make some money, I am investing in other churches and God's work. It's not about percentages. It's about results.”

And investing in churches like New Life produces results that matter.

Serving a Community in Crisis

Last fall’s fires allowed New Life to implement the vision they’d had for a decade: they became a refuge. And Mark and Heather played a part.

“My wife and I together volunteered a little over 30 hours that first week, and additional hours after the evacuation center began to convert into a resource center,” Mark described. “The way the people of our church came together for our friends and neighbors in need was incredible. The teamwork and love that was shown during this disaster was so encouraging. It was the body of Christ in action.”

This powerful act of service created ripples throughout Sonoma County, and Mark witnessed some of the fruit himself.

“The teamwork and love that was shown during this disaster was so encouraging. It was the body of Christ in action.”—Mark Milazzo

“Two weeks after the fires broke out, I was in my gym and overheard a woman who was displaced during the fires. She went on and on about how New Life helped and supported her and provided her with hope during this stressful time. I broke into the conversation and introduced myself as a member of New Life. We have since had many more conversations.”

The way New Life responded to the fires created countless opportunities for Christians to develop relationships with their non-Christian neighbors—including serving alongside one another.

“We had many volunteers at the New Life evacuation center who were not Christians, and a good number of them have been coming to service and volunteering in other current New Life programs,” Mark said.

“God is restoring the people and making something great out of this tragedy.”

Financial resources don’t imbue people with Christlike compassion. But investors like Mark empower churches across the country to become what God calls them to be—and enable congregations to leave a legacy in their communities.